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Steelers ugly in the second half

but the main point that I thought we should focus on was, once again the awful second half play. Something that's becoming all too familiar for Steelers fans.

After racking up 10 first downs on 226 yards, and punching in 17 unanswered points on the first three drives of the game, the Steelers gained just 144 yards of total offense on their last eight drives of the game.

After leaving the locker room at halftime up 17-3, the Steelers gained just 70 yards of total offense and punted the ball on all five of their second half drives.

If the disappearance of the Steelers offense wasn’t enough, the defense played Copperfield all game long. Never truly leaving the room, but often times absent, the defense gave the Jags and their 22-year-old rookie quarterback room to hang around until a Hail Mary ended their late-game efforts.

I just don't know what it is. In 2008-2009, we were the comeback kids. Always awful in the first half and unreal in the second half. Something has changed this season. The first few series of almost every game this season, we've looked good, and then we've let up after the first quarter. That is going to be trouble later in the season..

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 181 yards and completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace in the first half of Sunday's game against Jacksonville. His quarterback rating was 113.4 after the second quarter and he appeared to be well on his way to another sterling performance, one week after tossing five touchdown passes in a victory against the Titans.

In the third and fourth quarters, the Jaguars -- and the wind -- finally disrupted the Steelers' passing game. Roethlisberger completed just 1 of 5 passes in the third and fourth quarters, and the Steelers had to hold on for a 17-13 victory after being held off the scoreboard in the second half.

"We had other guys open," Roethlisberger said. "I just have to drive the ball. I have to make the necessary adjustments when the wind picks up, stop floating it and try to drive it through the wind.

"I never make excuses. When it's blowing, you have to put a lot of spin on the ball. I just wasn't doing that. It's something I can easily change."

Several of Roethlisberger's incomplete passes, including some in the first half, came with receivers open deep downfield. Roethlisberger, who said the Jaguars were taking away the underneath routes and daring him to throw deep, simply misfired.
"The wind most definitely was a factor, but we won't use that as an excuse at all," said Wallace, who did not catch a pass in the second half for the second consecutive week. "We just have to keep working at it. We'll get it. Unfortunately, we left about three touchdowns out there."

Roethlisberger's only completion of the second half came on the first drive. It was a 19-yarder to Hines Ward. On the next play, Roethlisberger missed a wide open Emmanuel Sanders, who had beaten his defender to the end zone.
Roethlisberger also missed Sanders on another deep pass in the first half and could not connect on a deep pass to Wallace in the second half.

"It was gusting pretty good," Roethlisberger said of the wind. "Dan [Sepulveda] said on the last punt he wanted to take off and run. He didn't even want to punt it. It was what it was. It was kind of Heinz Field. One series it blows one way, then it swirls on you. Like I said, no excuses. You have to drive the ball through the wind."

I mean seriously, the wind is picking up and gusting to the point where it's affecting the passing game. So like, hey Bruce, let's make sure we keep going deep and trying to the home run pass! Sure thing Ben, I'll call some more home run plays, cuz those will work just fine in gusting winds tossing the ball 30-40 yds down field.

Blame it on Ben for audibling into them or blame Bruce for calling them. Either way it was not going to work.

Looked to me like they went for the home run ball far too much in the 2nd half. Like they were trying for the one big play to put the game away, and as a result, did nothing offensively at all.

--- Added 10/17/2011 at 05:48 AM ---

Originally Posted by BlitzburghRockCity

I mean seriously, the wind is picking up and gusting to the point where it's affecting the passing game. So like, hey Bruce, let's make sure we keep going deep and trying to the home run pass! Sure thing Ben, I'll call some more home run plays, cuz those will work just fine in gusting winds tossing the ball 30-40 yds down field.